Apparatus for coiling sliver in cans



Feb. 28, 1956 Filed May 31, 1952 G. FORSYTHE ET AL 71 APPARATUS FORCOILING SLIVER IN CANS 2 Sheets-Sheet l George 5/65/299 Ham/0 14/./PA/88// a ar/b7660 Feb. 28, 1956 FRSYTHE 2,736,071

APPARATUS FOR COILING SLIVER IN CANS Filed May 31, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Gav/ye fb/vyf/ve Ham/0 14/. /PU886// b w l United States Patent2,736,071 APPARATUS FOR COILING SLIVER IN CANS George Forsythe,Ballardvale, and Harold W. Russell, Andover, Mass., assignors to PacificMills, Lawrence, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application May31, 1952, Serial No. 291,016

4 Claims. (Cl. 19-159) The present invention relates to apparatus forcoiling textile sliver, such as wool sliver, in cylindrical cans and ismore particularly directed to apparatus for supporting the cans andmoving them in a desired pathas they are being filled.

An object of the invention is to provide such apparatus which willautomaticallyremove the filled can from the filling station assoon as ithas been filled and immediately replace it by an empty can withoutinterruption of the delivery of sliver to the apparatus, as from aworsted card.

A further object is to provide such an apparatus in which the filled canremoved from the filling station is displaced to a position in which itis readily accessible for removal by the operator.

A further object of the invention is to provide such an apparatus inwhich the periodic removal and replacement of cans at the fillingstation is automatically timed with the delivery of sliver into the canat the filling station.

A further object is to provide such an apparatus in which the cans arecontinuously given an orbital motion in a horizontal plane to providefor laying of the sliver uniformly in the can from top to bottom of thecan, and in which the cans are periodically removed from and fed to afilling station without interference with said orbital motion.

In accordance with the invention, a plurality of cylindrical cans aresupported at spaced positions in a circle on a horizontal table, one ofthe cans being located at a filling station immediately below a rotarycoiler head through which sliver is fed into the can. Said table issupported upon a rotary supporting member which carries the means forimparting to the table the desired orbital motion and which, in turn, isindependently rotatable periodically to displace the entire assemblageofthe table and its driving means a fraction of a revolution to remove afilled can from the filling station and replace it by an emptycan.

Means is provided for timing the periodical rotation of the supportingmember with the rotation of the calender rolls which feed the sliver tothe can at the filling station, so that when a can becomes full it ispromptly removed and replaced by an empty can.

-An illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown in theaccompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. l is a front elevation, partly broken away, of the entire machinewith three cans in position therein;

Fig. 2 is a vertical central section through the lower part of theapparatus of Fig. 1, and,

Fig. 3 is a detail horizontal sectional View taken on line 3-3 of Fig.l.

- Referring to the drawings, our presently preferred apparatus comprisesa base plate 2 on which is supported by means of standards, one of whichis shown at 4, a head plate 6, as by securing the head plate at 8against stop 7 shoulders on the standards 4. On the head plate 6 iscarried the rotating coiler head 10 through which the sliver is fed intothe can, and a pair of calender rolls 12 which receive the slivercontinuously delivered to the apparatus and feed it at a controlledspeed to' the coiler head 10, to-

2,736,07l Patented Feb. 28, 1956 gether with associated supporting,driving and auxiliary apparatus later to be described in detail.

The cans 14 are supported on a can table beneath the head plate 6 withone of them 14a positioned at the filling station beneath the coilerhead 10. In the embodiment shown there are 3 such cans supported on acan table in the form of a horizontal plate 16 and equally spacedthereon apart.

Supported on the head plate 6 by means of a suitable pillow block andbearing 20 is a horizontal main drive shaft 22. The outboard end ofshaft 22 is supported by a bearing 24 carried at the upper end of avertical standard 26 resting on and rigidly connected to the base plate2.

Power for operating the machine is supplied by a chain drive from asuitable source (not shown) to a sprocket 28 fast on shaft 22.Preferably the sprocket 28 is driven from a shaft which carries one ofthe calender rolls of the card, gill, etc. from which sliver is suppliedto the machine, to simplify timing of the calender roll pair 12 with therate at which sliver is supplied to the apparatus.

The main drive shaft 22 is connected through a manually operable clutch36 to drive shaft 32 which is supported in pillow blocks and bearings34. A bevel gear 36 pinned or keyed to shaft 32 meshes with a bevel gear38 which is journaled in a bearing supported on the head plate 6 andcarries for rotation therewith a spur gear 40. The spur gear 49 drivesthe coiler head 10 by engagement with teeth on its periphery, as shown.The coiler head 10 may be supported in the head plate 6 for rotationabout its own axis by an annular rib on its lower face which seats inand is guided by a corresponding groove in the head plate 6. Also fastto the drive shaft 32 is a sprocket 42 which drives, by means of asprocket chain 44, a sprocket 46 fast on a shaft 48 journaled inbearings 50, 52 supported on the head plate 6. The shaft 48 is rigidwith one of the rolls of calender roll pair 12 the other of which isdriven at the same surface speed by means of spur gearing at 54. Thesecalender rolls may be plain surfaced or may be a tongue and groovedpair, as desired. Thus the rotation of the calender roll pair 12 istimed with the rotation of the coiler head 10. The coiler head 10 isprovided with an eccentric opening, i. e., an opening displaced from theaxis of rotation of the head, through which the sliver delivered by thecalender roll pair 12 is passed downwardly into the can immediatelybelow the coiler head at the filling station. The continuous rotation ofthe coiler head causes the sliver to be discharged into the can along acircular path. The simultaneous orbital motion of the can provided bytable 16, as Will be described, progressively displaces successivecircles, so that the sliver is laid in the can uniformly from top tobottom. The coiler head, calender rolls and their associated parts sofar described, as well as the orbital motion of the can support, and themanner in which the sliver is laid into the can, are disclosed ingreater detail in copending application Serial No. 790,158 filedDecember 6, 1947, now Patent 2,598,738.

The horizontal orbital motion of the table 16 in timed relation with therotation of the calender roll pair 12 and the coiler head 10 is providedby a vertical shaft 56 journaled in the head plate 6, and in a bearing58 (Fig. 2) supported on the base plate 2. Shaft 56 is driven from driveshaft 32 by means of a worm 60 fast on said shaft and a cooperating Wormgear 62 fast on shaft 56. A sprocket 64 fast on shaft 56 below the table16 drives a sprocket 66 journaled on a stub shaft 68 carried on a rotarysupporting member 76. A stud 72 depending from table 16 is journaled ina disc '74 fast to sprocket 66, so that the stud is disposedeccentrically of the sprocket. The table 16 is provided with a largeopening for the passage of the shaft 56 and is supported solely by stud72 and two other similar studs spaced 120 apart, one of which is shownat 76, journaled eccentrically in a disc 78 supported for rotation onstub shaft S on supporting member 70. Thus rotation of shaft 56 by thedrive shaft 32 causes the studs 72 and 76 to move in circular paths,imparting to the table 16 a motion such that all points thereof move inhorizontal circular paths of equal radii. This we refer to herein asbodily revolving the table in a horizontal orbit in its plane to movethe can being filled about an axis displaced from the axis of the can.This orbital motion, in combination with the rotation of the coiier headIt), causes the sliver to be uniformly deposited in the can inoverlapping eccentric coils, as described in more detail in WilkiePatents No. 2,478,960 and No. 2,598,738.

The plate forming the table 16 on which the cans are carried isperiodically given a step by step indexing motion to remove the filledcan from its position at the filling station into a position from whichit can conveniently be taken out of the machine by the operator, andsimultaneously move an empty can into filling position at the fillingstation. For this purpose, means are provided for periodically rotatingthe supporting member 7 ii a fraction of a revolution about the shaft56. This periodical stepping of supporting member 70 is timed with thecalender roll pair 12 (and with the coiler head ill) so that the desiredremoval of the filled can takes place promptly when the can becomesfull.

Referring now to Fig. l, a vertical shaft 82 journaled in bearings 84,86 carried by standard 26 is driven from the main drive shaft 22 by aworm 88 thereon which meshes with and drives a worm wheel 90 fast onshaft 82. A shaft 92 directly below and in alignment with shaft 82 andsupported in bearings 94, 96 carried on the standard 26, is driven fromthe shaft 82 through a one-revolution clutch indicated generally at 98.At its lower end shaft 92 carries a sprocket which, through sprocketchain 102, drives a sprocket 104 which is bolted at 106 to thesupporting member 70 in a position coaxial with shaft 56 on which thesupporting member "ill is journaled for free rotation by the bearing 1%.

The one-revolution clutch indicated generally at 98 may be any suitablecommercially available clutch of this type such as the well-knownHilliard single-revolution clutch described in Patent No. 2,l40,737. Ingeneral the clutch' 98 comprises a driving member 110 fast on shaft 82and a driven member 112 fast on shaft 92. The driven member normallyremains stationary as the driving member 110 continuously rotates, butthe clutch periodically may be actuated to cause the driving member topick up the driven member, turn it one revolution and then release it.

Operation of clutch 93 is under the control of a counter 114 which isdriven by the shaft 48 to count the revolutions of the calender rollpair 12. The counter 114 may be an indicating and recording counter asshown. When the counter 114 has counted a number of revolutionspredetermined to correspond to the filled condition of the can 14:: atthe filling station, it energizes (through electrical connections notshown) a solenoid 116 causing the solenoid plunger 118 (Fig. 3) to exerta pull on the clutch locking dog 120 which is pivoted on the standard 26at 122. This locking dog 12% is normally urged by spring 126 intolocking position so that its free outer end engages a shoulder 124 onthe clutch driven member 112 to prevent rotation of the latter and,consequently, of the shaft 92 which effects the periodically steppingmotion of plate 16. Upon retraction of locking dog 12% by the solenoid,its free end disengages from shoulder 124 permitting the clutch tooperate and begin to turn the driven member 112. The solenoid isenergized only momentarily so that locking dog 120 promptly drops back,under the influence of spring 126, against the spiral surface on drivenmember 112 so that at the end of one revolution of shaft 92 it againengages the shoulder 124 to arrest rotation of shaft 92.

Desirably, a notched disc 128 is provided, fast on shaft 92 and having anotch in its periphery into which a tooth on spring-pressed dog 130drops when shoulder 124 comes in contact with locking dog 120. Thisengagement of the tooth on dog 130 in the notch of disc 128 serves toprevent back-lash of the driven member of the clutch.

It will be understood that the ratio of the connections between maindrive shaft 22 and the rotary supporting member 70 is such that onerevolution of the'clutch 98 will step the table 16 forward the fractionof a revolution which is represented by the reciprocal of the number ofcans which the can table is designed to carry.

When the table 16 is advanced, at the moment when the can at the fillingstation has been filled, the filled can is moved on into a position fromwhich the operator can remove it at his convenience at any timein thecase where three cans are employed, before two succeeding cans have beenfilled. When the operator removes a filled can he replaces it by anempty can. Consequently, each can as it is filled is automaticallyremoved from the filling station and replaced by an empty can, intowhich the machine immediately begins to fill the advancing sliver in themanner described in said Patent No. 2,598,738.

We claim:

. In an apparatus for coiling sliver in a cylindrical can, thecombination of a table for supporting a plurality of such cans, rotarycalender rolls located above said cans to deliver sliver to fill one ofsaid cans, means to drive said calender rolls, means'for bodilyrevolving said table in a horizontal orbit in its plane to move the canbeing filled about an axis displaced from the axis of the can, and meansoperating in timed relation to the rotation of said calender rollsperiodically to rotate said secondrnentioned means a fraction of arevolution in a horizontal plane to displace the can being filled andreplace it by an empty can.

2. In an apparatus for coiling sliver in a cylindrical can, thecombination of a table for supporting a plurality of such cans, a rotarycoiler head located above said cans at a filling station and having aneccentric opening therein for the delivery of sliver into a can at saidfilling station, rotary calender rolls to deliver sliver to said coilerhead, means for rotating said calender rolls, means for rotating saidcoiler head in timed relation with the rotation of said calender rolls,means for bodily revolving said table in a horizontal orbit in its planeto move the can being filled about an axis displaced from the axis ofthe can in timed relation with the rotation of said coiler head, andmeans operating in timed relation to the rotation of said calender rollsperiodically to rotate said third-mentioned means and said table afraction of a revolution in a horizontal plane and about a differentaxis to displace from the filling station the can being filled andreplace it by an empty can.

3. In an apparatus for coiling sliver in a cylindrical can, thecombination of a table for supporting a plurality of such cans, rotarycalender rolls located above said cans to deliver sliver to one of saidcans, means to drive said calender rolls, means for bodily revolvingsaid table in a horizontal orbit in its plane to move the can beingfilled about an axis displaced from the axis of the can, and meansoperating in timed relation to the rotation of said calender rollsperiodically to rotate about a different axis said second-mentionedmeans and said table in a horizontal plane the fraction of a revolutionrepresented by the reciprocal of the number of cans to periodicallydisplace the can being filled and replace it by an empty can.

4. In an apparatus for coiling sliver in a cylindrical can, thecombination of a table for supporting a plurality of such cans, a rotarycoiler head located above said cans having an eccentric opening thereinfor. the delivery of sliver into one of said cans, rotary calender rollsto deliver sliver to said coiler head, means to rotate said calenderrolls, means for rotating said coiler head in timed relation with therotation of said calender rolls, means for bodily revolving said tablein a horizontal orbit in its plane to move the can being filled about anaxis displaced from the axis of the can in timed relation with therotation of said coiler head, a one-revolution clutch driven by theapparatus, and means for actuating said clutch in timed relation Withthe rotation of said calender rolls periodically to rotate saidthird-mentioned means and said table a fraction of a revolution in ahorizontal plane and about a different axis to displace the can beingfilled and replace it by an empty can.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,355,071 Hendrickson Aug. 8, 1944 6 Hinson Oct. 16, 1951 FOREIGNPATENTS Great Britain of 1914 Great Britain Ian. 20, 1927 SwitzerlandSept. 16, 1942 Germany Sept. 24, 1923 Germany Feb. 1, 1934 France Sept.4, 1933

